Design & Development

Roma to press ahead with stadium plans

Italian Serie A football club AS Roma has been given the go-ahead to build a new stadium following constructive talks with city officials.

Roma had been seeking final approval from the city of Rome for some time and an agreement has finally been reached that will result in a scaled-back project.

Earlier this month, the city council stated that it would only give the project the green light if certain conditions were met.

Roma officials met with Mayor Virginia Raggi on Friday evening to discuss the project and a compromise was eventually reached.

Outlining the changes to the initial project in a Facebook post, Raggi said: “Three towers eliminated, the space halved, 60 per cent less alone for the part relating to the business park.

“We’ve raised the standards of construction to class A4, the highest in the world. We’ll secure the district of Decima so that it will no longer be subject to flooding. We’ll build a new station for the Roma-Lido railway.

“We’ve revolutionised the design of the Roma stadium and turned it into an opportunity for Rome. We’ve always said that we’d be conducive to making the stadium happen, but only within the law and for the good of our city.”

“We’ve succeeded. We avoided the monster project inherited from the previous administration. In Tor di Valle, a new stadium will be built, but one that is modern, environmentally friendly, advanced from a technological viewpoint and, above all, a piece of art that respects the environment and land. A stadium done right.”

It is hoped that Roma will be able to move into the new facility by the 2020-21 season at the latest. The club currently shares the Stadio Olimpico with fierce rival Lazio.

Mauro Baldissoni, managing director at Roma, added: “The previous project was born out of a resolution and an agreement with the former administration, and we made it known we were open to the idea of revising it according to the visions and needs of this new administration, so we’re very proud and pleased to have come to an agreement that improves the project and offers the city a chance to be part of a big project that we believe can be a source of pride for everyone who lives here, regardless of whether they’re Roma fans or not.

“At the risk of seeming excessive, I’ll say that this is somewhat of an historic day not only for Roma, bringing our dream of having a modern infrastructure one step closer, but also for the city as a whole.”